Tag Sale - You're It!
"Tag Sale – You're It!" is the tenth episode in the first season of The Venture Bros. This episode has been regarded as a fan-favorite. Plot Dr. Venture is having a tag sale, but such a tag sale is going to be profitable and interesting only to certain types of people - adventurers, heroes and supervillains. After a shot of the special agents the government sent in to help keep things from potentially getting out of control, we learn Hank has set up a lemonade and grinder stand with Dean and H.E.L.P.eR. as his employees, and is taking his propietorship a little too seriously, making demands of his two workers. The Monarch, Dr. Girlfriend, and henchmen 21 and 24 meanwhile get to the sale and thus far are having a blast, the Monarch himself being particularly chipper. As they wait in line, they cringe in disgust when Baron Ünderbheit must take off his lower jaw for the metal detector. In the same line, Master Billy Quizboy and Pete White talk about Dr. Girlfriend's deep voice and rumors of her having a monkey uterus transplanted into her. This leads to suspicions of her being a transsexual. Despite this, the two unsuccessfully hit on her anyway, proposing a hero / villain type arrangement, and attempt to impress her with Billy Quizboy's hydrocephalic head and Dr. White's albinism. Dr. Venture is merely attempting to enjoy making some cash and relaxing in the sun, having sold a prototype lightsaber to #21. Apparently, the fact that it actually lit up and glowed by its own power (and that it cost over $2 million in parts alone) was too much for Kenner to stomach. To Dr. Venture's dismay, Dr. Orpheus comes in, asking how the yard sale is going and more importantly, how glorious the life of a super-scientist must be, having enemies and adventure at every turn. Dr. Venture wryly remarks Dr. Orpheus can have that life, to which the necromancer admits that he frankly envies Dr. Venture. When the Monarch makes a quick, unsuccessful trip to a porta-potty, Dr. Girlfriend is found by and hit on by the Phantom Limb, who mocks the Monarch to her displeasure. When the Monarch returns, he admits that the tag sale is getting flat-out boring. He shoots a small projectile from his wristbands that hits Baron Ünderbheit in the back of the head, who mistakes a civilian shopper for the deed. Ünderbheit's attack quickly causes the tag sale to become a destructive riot. Hank's business is torn down with him temporarily knocked off his feet by a flying shoe, and Brock immediately begins pounding down various evildoers. When #21, thinking he now has power with his lightsaber, attempts to use the weapon against Brock, the saber passes right through him-it was merely a hologram, and #21 runs off in horror. Meanwhile, Dr. Orpheus gladly joins in the fight, attempting to shout out amongst the fighting that he needs an archenemy and is happy to make one, and incorrectly assumes Dr. Venture is going inside to protect the front of the compound when he merely is going off to count the profits. Meanwhile, Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend have snuck into the Venture Compound to find a working bathroom. After that mission is successful the duo now need something to do, preferably something that would strike at the heart of their archenemy. They can find nothing, despite wandering through most of the Venture compound, and figure Dr. Venture's lab ought have something, but the Monarch is unimpressed by Dr. Venture's lackluster workstation. After having toured the house and deciding that Dr. Venture's life is really quite pathetic and pitiable, The Monarch is ready to give up harassing Dr. Venture entirely when he and Doctor Girlfriend are surprised and attacked by some of the government agents. After a brief scuffle where The Monarch quite handily defeats the agents, he poses and gives an impromptu and melodramatic monologue on how he, the Monarch, would still destroy Dr. Venture, he and Dr. Girlfriend use a grappling hook to escape the eyes of the rest of government agents sent to check in the area. (While the rest of the Venture family sit in the living room where Dean is spying in on The Monarch "Still monologuing" and waiting for him to leave.) As it turns out, they only caught the ceiling right above them and it is quite dark when it is finally safe for them to leave. Trivia * #21's awkward sweeps with his lightsaber before fighting Brock are reminiscent of the internet phenomenon the Star Wars kid. #21 is overweight, adding to the resemblance. *Here we first learn Dr. Orpheus is quite envious of Dr. Venture's excitable lifestyle and desire for an archenemy. *This is the first major appearance of the Phantom Limb, who would play a surprisingly major role merely two episodes later. *Henchmen 21 and 24 engage in another of their signature bizarre pop-culture arguments, this time over who would win in a fist fight between Lizzie Borden and Anne Frank. *Dave Gahan, the lead singer of Depeche Mode, is observed as present at the sale by the Monarch (the shows creator's are avowed fans of the band). *Many of the villains present at this yard sale reappear in Fallen Arches waiting in line for their chance to "Arch" Dr. Orpheus and his team, the Order of the Triad. *According to the DVD commentary, the name of the ghost-like creature that annoys the Monarch is "The Intangible Fancy." He reappears in Fallen Arches, waiting in line to audition for a place as arch-nemesis to the Order of the Triad. He bemoans his lack of costume choices, and genitalia. *The man with the robot arm who punches the villain with the electric-socket chest plate and electric prong face reappears in Powerless in the Face of Death at the former henchman support group, though it's never specified who he henched for. *The Monarch's comment that his effort to defecate was "all sound and fury, signifying nothing" is a quote from Shakespeare's play Macbeth, although the original line does not refer to stomach ailments. *As the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend make their plan to break past security and access the interior of the compound, we see a rack behind them that has lab coats and jump suits on sale, as signified by the sign. This is interesting because, much latter in the episode "Hate Floats", Dr. Venture keeps insisting throughout the episode that they should be called "speed suits". *On the DVD commentary, Doc Hammer refers to one of the agents (Mister Five) as "Agent Hank", referring to his similar appearance to Hank Venture. *Dr. Orpheus' card reads: :Doctor Byron Orpheus :Master: Necromancer :Astral Projection, Levitation, Conjuring, Etc. :1297 Venture Compound West *Upon finding his battery powered microphone in a box of items for sale Dean says, "Breaker, breaker one niner this here's the rubber duck you got a copy on me, come on" this is a reference to the C.W. McCall song "Convoy" Goofs *Several mistakes regarding The Monarch's wrist-shooter were made. The agent whom he hid the shooter in differs from the one he retrived it from. In the time that he does not have the shooter, The Monarch can be seen wearing either both wrist-bands or neither. And when he retrieves it, he can be seen wearing only one. *Master Billy Quizboy's eyepatch changes from black to brown during the episode. Similarly, Mr. White's suit becomes off-white. Doc Hammer's explanation for this is that it was sunset. *While Dr. Orpheus is offering to help Dr. Venture with the yard sale, Dr. Venture's black socks disappear and reappear between shots. *The scene after the credits depicts Brock throwing two of the Monarch's (presumably dead) henchmen into the back of a truck. However, the Monarch only brought two henchmen, 21 and 24, both of whom survived the fight. *At the end of the episode when the Monarch pulls Dr. Girlfriend to him while monologuing, it is possible to see the wall behind him through her gloved hand as a result of the glove having not been colored in during production. *Mr. Eleven, the agent who deserted in the opening, is seen later in the episode, despite being killed Category:The Venture Bros. episodes